Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have only reached the end of the first third of the hearing, so it is important not to jump to conclusions at this stage. However, it has been unsettling to listen to the witnesses speak about their experiences and those of the people they represent. As Deputy Byrne said, the policy is clear but in reality it is not happening. The absence of guidelines from the Department and the absence of monitoring by the Department and Tusla are concerning. We have to accept the reality that reduced timetables are in place. We will have an opportunity to hear more from the perspective of boards of management and teachers. Apart from the educational development of young people, social development is very important so that in schools we have the holistic development of children with their peers. When we set the terms of reference for this we said we would look at the impact of reduced timetables not only on students but on the whole school environment, and this is important to note.

If I were to put a question to the witnesses it would be on what other interventions they would like to see used or would suggest be utilised instead of a reduced timetable, particularly with regard to behaviour management issues.

Is there empirical evidence to back up the anecdotal evidence presented to us?